


no rest for the standardized testers

by Anonymous



Series: Happy Cooli-days! [3]
Category: American Housewife (TV)
Genre: CollegeBoard, Cooper's a lil smart bean ok, M/M, Oliver is petty but he won't make Coop feel bad, SAT tests, he just has special interests. shh, lmfao im so sorry to those of u who physically recoiled at those two tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:14:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28112973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Oliver is shocked by Cooper’s SAT score. Cooper always wants to make things better, even when he doesn't know what's wrong.-Happy Cooli-days! Day 3: Non-AU | Uncertainty
Relationships: Cooper Bradford/Oliver Otto
Series: Happy Cooli-days! [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2049231
Comments: 8
Kudos: 69





	no rest for the standardized testers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [baetrixv](https://archiveofourown.org/users/baetrixv/gifts).



> From someone who took the SATs 2 yrs ago and went thru college apps last yr, I hope this didn't traumatize any of you currently or recently in the same situation. [unintelligible swearing at the College Board]

Oliver only looks up from his Princeton Review textbook once the drumming starts needling into his inner ears. “Hey, Coop,” he starts softly. “What’s up?”

Cooper is thumping the pads of his palms against their basement kitchen countertop while staring at his email inbox. He chews at his inner cheek, then swivels in the barstool to face Oliver. “It says that they sent back my SAT score.”

Oliver perks up, immediately flipping over his book and placing it open, face-down, on the table. 

“That’ll ruin its spine,” Cooper murmurs as Oliver walks over to him. 

“I didn’t know that you already took it.” He really didn’t. Indignance swells in Oliver’s chest, and he pouts a bit at himself. Had he been worrying so much about taking his own test that Cooper felt weird even telling him that he had already taken his?

Cooper nods, playing with his hands by looping his index fingers together. “I knew I wasn’t gonna do well so I took it in the first sitting, so I have time to take it again.”

Oliver sits down beside him. His eyes drop to Cooper’s fidgeting hands, then back up to his face. “Are you scared?”

Cooper stops then, moving his right hand up to rest on the touchpad of his laptop. Oliver notices that his left hand keeps rubbing his thigh. “No. I just feel weird. You’re studying hard and taking it so seriously. I know it’s supposed to be important, but it never was for me. My parents always said it was okay that I’m not smart because we’re rich.”

Oliver frowns. “Don’t say that. I mean, you can be ditzy, and I’m definitely guilty for teasing you about it. I’m sorry, it’s just _so cute_. But you’re smart, Coop. Your parents don’t even know you. They’ve never even given you a chance to show them that you are.”

Cooper bites his lip and nods. He’s not really listening, anyway. He hovers the cursor over the email. 

“Ready to see it?” Oliver asks.

Cooper takes a deep breath and clicks. With a few more taps, he’s at the College Board login page. He feels a little jittery at the fingertips, but Oliver’s hand on his knee makes him feel a sense of tranquility at the same time.

After Cooper has filled in his information, the new page loads up with edu-corporate block color graphics. When the 4 digit number pops up in white, Oliver gapes. “Holy _shit_ , Cooper,” he huffs out.

Cooper sighs in content at the number. He doesn’t quite know what it means, but seeing it makes him feel nice. It’s just there, and he’s still here. 

“Cooper, you did really good.” 

Cooper looks at Oliver in surprise, then squints back at the breakdown on-screen. “Did I?”

“ _Yes_ ,” Oliver adds incredulously. “You got an 800 in the reading and writing section.”

“That’s good?”

“That’s a _perfect_ _score_ , Cooper.”

“Isn’t it out of 1000?”

Oliver resists the teasing comment that threatens to spill out. He kisses it into Cooper’s forehead instead. For just a moment, Oliver simply appreciates Cooper’s presence. Then, he smiles fondly. “I’m proud of you, baby.”

Cooper’s grin pushes high up into his cheeks as he beams. Oliver wonders how he could calmly receive such a high score and still _only_ break into a smile like that when Oliver calls him something sappy.

“Cooper, 1520 is amazing. That’s like an _actual_ ballpark Harvard SAT score.” Oliver’s enthusiasm is soon overshadowed by dread. His eyes dart back to his prep book splayed out on the coffee table. Anxiety starts dancing down his spine. Cooper has it all: both the absurd donation potential and now, a score that will only cement his admission. If Oliver doesn’t get it together, Cooper will leave him behind.

Cooper suddenly pouts. “Wait, are you upset?”

“No, of course not. I’m happy for you.”

“Are you sure?” Cooper pokes Oliver’s cheek. “Your face makes this shape before you get sad. Kinda droopy. I’m sorry I made you sad.” He takes Oliver’s hands into his, tugging lightly as if he could bring Oliver back into happiness if he just pulls hard enough. “It’s probably wrong. We both know I’m not smart. I wouldn’t do well in school if I didn’t give the teachers access to my personal gift shopper. How could I have gotten a good score?”

Oliver gives him a tired smirk. “Coop, if Forbes Magazine has taught me anything, it’s that school grades are not a great measure of intelligence.”

Cooper scrunches his face in displeasure and crosses his arms. “Says the guy that’s _making me_ go to Harvard with him.”

Oliver shrugs. He leans in close and lightly rests his cheek against the top of Cooper’s shoulder. “I mean if you wanna go somewhere else,” he mumbles.

“No!” Cooper barks back. He averts his gaze from Oliver’s face, resisting his charm. “I’ll go with you. But I only wanna go to Harvard if it’s with you.”

Oliver presses a kiss to the fabric covering Cooper’s collar bone and leans back, out of his personal bubble. “ _Mhm_. Says the guy that got a near-perfect SAT score.”

“Harvard is probably overrated. I’d get bored without you there.” Cooper sighs dramatically, then closes his laptop. “They’ll always be talking about their little houses in the Hamptons or the island estates they got for their birthdays.” He scoffs. “It’ll be too normal.”

Oliver rolls his eyes. He’s not even going to get into that. “Hey, with this score, maybe you can put in a good word for me,” he jokes. “But seriously, Coop, if you want to go, then you should. Even if I don’t get in.” It hurts. A lot. Oliver from a couple of years ago would have rather died than mutter such a thing to _Cooper Bradford_ , but… times change. 

Cooper whines. “Don’t say that.” He swivels around in his seat petulantly, so that Oliver is left staring at the millions of fibers weaved into the back of his Vicuña sweater. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Oliver uses his hand on one of Cooper’s thighs to spin him back around. He smiles when Cooper resigns himself to making eye contact. “Whatever happens, we’ll be okay. I promise.” He lets his hand raise, higher and higher into the air, like Icarus with a pair of wax-stuck wings. “I’m proud of you,” he reassures while lightly ruffling Cooper’s hair. The glare he sends Oliver burns brighter than the sun.

Cooper relaxes once Oliver pats it back into shape. He’ll never admit that he doesn’t mind when _Oliver_ messes with his hair. 

“So do you think you could help me study?” Oliver asks.

Cooper smiles sheepishly. “I’m sorry dude, I really didn’t try to prepare, so I don’t know what I did right.”

“I’m not surprised, the more I think about it. You read a lot, Cooper. Like, _obsessively_. There’s no wonder why you got a perfect there.”

Cooper hums in semi-agreement. “Yeah, but not like _smart people_ books.” 

“Hey now,” Oliver warns with his tone. “Stop that. If you religiously read every Vogue article in print _and online,_ then that’s smart-people material. Plus, you read academic shit all the time. You’ve read, like, a million books about the evolution of fashion in different countries and time periods. You search up the dictionary definitions of every word you don’t already know. Don’t call yourself dumb just because you focus your brain in places they don’t grade in high school.”

Cooper smiles a little at the idea. Maybe his brain isn’t that bad after all. “But I still don’t think I can teach you. When the questions made sense to me, they made sense, and if they didn’t, they just didn’t. I don’t know how to explain it.” He pouts again. “I really want to help you.”

“It’s okay, Coop. I think the biggest thing psyching me out is stress. Can you maybe just cuddle with me while I read through some practice problems? That would be enough.” Oliver stands from the seat, finding Cooper’s hand and holding it limply in his own. _No pressure._

Cooper nods eagerly. “Maybe I can read them with you? I can talk through it and you can see if you understand how I think about them!” He’s chattering happily while Oliver slowly guides them back to the couch. Cooper snuggles against him as he sits, molasses-like sweetness and laze enveloping them. 

Once they settle in, Oliver carefully leans forward so that he can get his book back without putting a strain on Cooper’s arms. “Okay,” he starts, propping it up on their laps. He peers down at Cooper, who has already started to scan the open page.

“You’ll be my good luck charm,” Oliver tells him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Comments + kudos very appreciated <3  
> Message me at thanatsarans.tumblr.com to yell abt cooliver :)


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